Written Answers Tuesday 12 July 2005

Scottish Executive

Cities

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been allocated to each of the pilot cities in the Safe City Centres Initiative in each year since the commencement of the scheme.

Cathy Jamieson: The Safe City Centres Initiative is a three year pilot programme which started in 2003-04 and concludes in the current financial year 2005-06. The following table details the amounts allocated by the Executive to each of the pilot areas over the three year period. Additionally, Executive funding has been matched by the participating authorities, principally "in kind" through the provision of accommodation, equipment and other support.

  

Area
2003-04 (£)
2004-05 (£)
2005-06 (£)
Total (£)


Aberdeen
33,066
32,878
33,238
 99,182


Dundee
45,979
40,803
41,742
128,524


Stirling
35,800
36,810
36,961
109,571


Glasgow
43,191
53,739
53,739
150,669


Perth
11,167
11,167
21,166
 43,500


Edinburgh
59,080
47,555
48,055
154,690


Inverness
36,000
34,500
34,500
105,000

Civil Service Relocation

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in developing its revised strategy for the relocation of public sector jobs.

George Lyon: We are making good progress with a more strategic implementation of the relocation policy. As ministers have discussed with the Parliament’s Finance Committee, we are determined to speed up the implementation process and to make it more transparent and consistent. A website has been launched, which gives up-to-date lists of bodies under review as well as new central guidance on the relocation process. The website also contains a list of potential location opportunities identified in partnership with local authorities and local enterprise companies. We are also committed to introducing a new more strategic trigger for location reviews, making a more explicit connection between relocation policy, efficient government and best value, partly as a result of the recommendations made by the Finance Committee.

Council Tax

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average water sewerage and council tax bills have been as a proportion of average income in each local authority area in each year since 1997.

George Lyon: Average income estimates are not currently available at local authority level. Average council tax per dwelling for each local authority from 1996-97 to 2005-06 is available on the Scottish Executive website at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/16945/8121.

  Figures for the average water and sewerage charge in each local authority area are not held centrally.

Local Government Elections

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when any change to the rules regarding qualifications required by, or disqualifications limiting, those who can stand as candidates in local government elections, such as local authority employees, will be introduced.

George Lyon: The Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004 made a number of changes to the rules governing who can stand for election as a councillor. Section 7 lifts the requirement for council employees to resign upon nomination as a candidate but replaces it with a requirement to resign upon election. Section 8 reduces the age at which a person may stand for election as a councillor from 21 to 18. Both these sections came into force on 20 January 2005. Section 9 removes the salary threshold above which council employees are regarded as holding politically restricted posts and are therefore prevented from standing for election as a councillor. That section will be commenced at a suitable opportunity before the next local government elections.

Public Private Partnerships

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the interest rate range, relative to the base rate, within which core funding for PFI and PPP contracts should fall.

Mr Tom McCabe: The swap rate is negotiated as part of the competitive dialogue under the invitation to negotiate procurement process. There is no set range as it will depend on the prevailing market factors in each case. It is for each public authority, supported by professional advisers, to obtain the best deal possible, and to ensure that overall their project delivers good value for money. The Scottish Executive’s funding for PPP projects requires that prior to contract signature the authority can demonstrate in its final business case value for money and affordability using the relevant swap rate assumptions.

Special Advisers

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what work has been commissioned of civil servants by special advisers since the inception of the Parliament.

Mr Tom McCabe: A special adviser can only commission work of a civil servant on behalf of his or her minister as required by the Special Adviser Code of Conduct. Ministers regularly commission work from civil servants either directly or through their special advisers as part of the normal channels of business in the Scottish Executive.